Commit to change

Partha Pratim Mukherjee: Opened in 1881, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has UNESCO World Heritage Site status, carrying passengers from New Jalpaiguri at sea level to Darjeeling at an altitude of 2,000 metres [6,500 feet] in West Bengal, India.

Sachin Paranjape: The horse has been domesticated for 6,000 years and yet, in many places – for example, the Table Lands at Panchgani, Maharashtra, India – the traditional horse cart remains vital to the local economy.

Satoru Hagiwara: Honshu, the main island of Japan, is connected by a network of high-speed Shinkansen bullet trains, such as this one travelling over the Fuji River Bridge in Suruga Province.

Janine Granottier: This komatik near Uummanaq on the west coast of Greenland is a traditional dog sledge that has been used by the Inuit as transport across ice and snow for about 1,000 years.

Betty C J Luo: First developed in the late 1800s, the bicycle is still a major mode of transport around the world, including Beijing, China, where residents brave inclement conditions every winter.

Marco Aurelio Galicioli: Mules carry heavy supplies for climbers attempting to scale the Americas’ highest peak, Mt Aconcagua, in the Andes in Argentina’s Mendoza province.

Katharine Rees: This rigid-inflatable boat is a lightweight, high performance yet stable vessel, making it an ideal lifeboat, such as this one practising manoeuvres at Papamoa Beach, North Island, New Zealand.

Cheong Mei Theng: Opened in 1988, the Monorail in Sydney, Australia, is an example of modern mass urban transport, carrying tourists and other passengers from scenic Darling Harbour (shown here) to the central business district.

Charles Boulton: A Sikorsky helicopter flies over the docks at Burrard Inlet in British Columbia, Canada, carrying commuters on the early morning flight from Vancouver to Victoria.

Joan Erica Lumenta: The motorcycle is a versatile and compact mode of transport, capable of quickly moving people, goods and even livestock as shown by this motorcyclist in Tasikmalaya, West Java, Indonesia.

Kouitsu Saito: Buses (left) and electric trams (right) have been carrying passengers through the bustling streets of Central district, Hong Kong SAR, since the start of the 20th century.

Kathleen A Smith: Gas burners illuminate participants at the Adirondack Hot Air Balloon Festival at Lake George, New York, USA, one of many such annual events celebrating man’s oldest successful flight technology.